Donna Hanover, the actress-broadcaster wife of New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, will not perform in the Off-Broadway staging of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues this spring as planned. In a statement released May 1, Hanover said, "Due to personal family circumstances, I have decided to postpone my performance in The Vagina Monologues. I will work with the show's producers and director to set a date to join another team of esteemed actresses in the future."

Hanover did not get more specific regarding the "family circumstances," but her husband, who is running for the Senate against first lady Hillary Clinton, recently revealed he was suffering from prostate cancer and would have to undergo medical treatment.

A replacement for Hanover will be announced soon.

Hanover, seen in film and TV shows, was to have joined the cast at the Westside Theatre (Downstairs) for two weeks beginning May 30. The solo pieces that make up the evening are written by playwright-activist screenwriter Ensler based on her research, travels, interviews and experiences and explores the subjects of sexuality, orgasms, rape, empowerment, anatomy and love. The show began with just Ensler telling stories while seated in a stool, but now guest artists read her work in a rotating casting scheme that has proved popular.

Hanover has appeared in such films as "Keeping the Faith" and "The People Vs. Larry Flint" and such soaps as "As the World Turns" and "One Life to Live." She is also a TV correspondent for "Good Day New York" on Fox in the New York City area. Hanover is not often seen with her husband in public. Reuters reported that playwright-researcher Ensler is a friend of first lady Hillary Clinton and worked on her Senate exploratory committee last year.

"The Vagina Monologues is beautifully written and I'm delighted to be following in the footsteps of magnificent actresses like Annie Potts, Gina Gershon, Audra McDonald and Claire Danes," Hanover said in a statement.

--By Robert Simonson
and Kenneth Jones